Clinical-thermometer casing.



.Patented Sept. 7, 1915.

I lig L T.GREELEY.

\ CLINICAL THERMOMETER CASING.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.I8, 1913. 1,152,503.

Ivz/-c/enon' We@ G/ee Zery,

r sans arnnr omnes.

JAMES '.r. GEEELEY, or nessun, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

Gunmen-THERMOMETER cAsIfNG.

Application filed August 18, 1913.

To all whom it may concern: Y

Be it known that I, JAMES T. GREELEY, a citizen of the United States, of Nashua, in

the county of Hillsboro and State of Newv Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful improvements in ,Clinical-Thermometer Casings, of which the following is a specilication. y

This invention relates to meansfor insuring the cleanliness of thermometers of the type usually carried by, physicians and which are called clinical thermometers, the same being employed for taking the temperature of patients by inserting the bulb end of the thermometer in the mouth of the patient. The mouth and adjoining surfaces furnish an ideal breeding place for most disease-producing organisms. It` is, of course, desirable that there will be no possibility of transmission of Isuch organisms from one patient to another, due to the use of the same thermometer for different patients. It is highly desirable that the thermometer shall be surgically clean. Sterilizing by heat is impracticable, and Coldwater is inefficient. To employ `a lsterilizing solution in the casing in which the thermometer is carried by the physician, necessitates to render the device practicable, that means shall be provided for retaining the sterilizing solution in the casing when the thermometer is removed. Y

The object of my invention is to provide a practical and effective casing for thermometers of the kind explained, which will automatically sterilize the thermometer before and after use, and from whichY the liquid cannot accidentally escape.

To these ends theinvention consists in the improvements which l shall now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings,-Figure 1 is a side elevation of my invention in one of its embodiments. Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal section on a larger scale. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, the thermometer being removed from the casing, said ligure illustrating a slight modification hereinafter described.

Referring rst to Figs. 1 and 2, the casing` comprises an outer shell 10, which is preferably of metal, provided with openings to enable the contained thermometer yto be seen, and the amount of liquid to be vvisually determined. A bottom plug l1 having av screw-thread connection with the lower end Speccation of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 7, 1915.. Serial No. 785,220.

of the shell 10,'has a suitable packing, such as a disk 12. Near the other end,\the shell is formed or provided with an internal rib 1.3, against the under surface of which a packing `washer 14e bears. The inner memberof the casing, as shown in Fig. 2, comprises two glass tubes 15, 15, end to end, with an intermediate packing ring or washer 1 6,which ring as hereinafter explained, performs also the function of a valve-seat. A top` plug 17, and a'suitable packing-washer 18,r serves to removably close the upper end of the casing* The packing 16 practically divides the interior 4of thecasing into` two chambers, due to thel cooperation with said ring 16 of avalve preferably having a cupshaped ,portion 19, to receive the tip a of the, thermometer a, the upper end of the cup-shaped portion or body 19 being outwardly turned to form a Hangs 20. A fine, delicate spring 2l surrounds the cup-shaped portion 19 of the valve, and is confined between the flange 2O and the bottom of the casing presented by the bottom plug and the packing 12.V The interior of the plug 17 may be provided with a suitable cushion, 22.

Owing to the valve having the cup-shaped portion 19 substantially as illustrated, the

cannot be deflected laterally to any material amount. This structure also results in the thermometer itself guiding or holding the valve so that the latter cannot tilt, and thereforethe annular portion 20 can be of small enough diameter to leave a considerable space around it for the passage of the liquid when the valve is being shifted in either direction by the thermometer or by the spring. In brief, there is a very free passage for the liquid, and yet there is no liability of the valve tilting so` as to either result in jamming the valve or thermometer or letting them slip past each other.

When the thermometer is in the, casing,

as indicatedin Fig.` 2, thetip a holds'the valve down near the .bottom of the casing, so that a suitable quantity of sterilizing liquid, such as grain alcohol in the casing,`

"the-physician'. rlhe spring may, or may not Vthe liquidk to extent said liquidvwill i eXtendto, or nearly.v to the upper .end of the upper chamber, thussubmerging the thermometer, .or atleast, all such portion of it as will ever be introduced into the mouth ofv apatient, ina sterilirzing'liquid. YWhen the thermometer'is tofbeus'ed, Vthe rplu'gV17'is removed, l'and the springrl instantly pro-` jects the thermometer sufficiently so that itsY upperend-.can be conveniently` graspedby actztorvraise the thermometer Vuntil the flange f QOseats against the ring 16', but it will-be of- Y such strength,'at least,'thatwhen thephysician entirely withdraws the thermometer,

'theffvalvewill be seated,an d 'absolutely confine all. ofj-y the liquid remaining inthe lower i cha'mber,'sothatthe casing can be safely laid upon it`sfside,or` even inverted, without loss of the sterilizing' liquid from the lower-` chamber-: f u l f The withdrawal ofthe thermometer posi- Y tively insuresthe movementof all liquid y in! the-upper chamber into they lower chamber, 'this being dueVV to what is' commonly called suction, the effect beingv caused by at- Y vmospheric pressure seeking to Aill the partialv vacuum that would be caused by the removal- 'the' thermometer having been removed. In

` said: Fig.l 3, I illustrate the innericasing member"v as ,comprisingl a single` glass tube. 2 5,.in,tegral from end to end, instead of comprising two sections, as in Fig. 2. With such a/structure a suitable internal rib V26 is 1 formedV during the manufacture of the tube 25,1andfthe.necessary packing to effect va tight' closure may be formed by means of a washer 27,itted over: the flangel 20, the packing-in this casefmoving with the valve. Obviously, however, the packing 27 could be fitted to remain just underneath the rib` 26. Obviously, the casing may be readily supplied with the necessary Aquantity of liquid, by simply pouringV such liquidinto the open upper end of the casing while the thermometer, or--any suitable rod, isinserted sufficiently to separate the valve, more or less, from its seat, and' the casing may be emptied in the same manner, that is, by holding.v the valvemore or less open, while thecasing is inverted'. I i

f They spring 21l notl only insures the seatv ing ofvthevalve to prevent the escapev of 'y liquidi when the thermomenter Ais withdrawn, but it also serves to renderit certain that the thermometer will .be sufficiently ejected, upon the removal ofthe plug 17,

torenable the' thermometer to be removed, and sai'dspring also serves to so lyieldingly i f confine the thermometer endwise when in the position shown inA Fig. V2, to greatly re-l duce'the liability of breakage, if the casing .n and its thermometer .should be suddenly jarred or dropped.

1 do vnotY limit myself to the particular relative .proportions of the upper and lower chambers indicated in the drawings. The upper chamber may be relatively considerably shorter. A particular feature of my invention, however, is that when the thermometer is removed, the movement of all liquid into therl'ower chamber, behind or below the valve, is rendered positive by atmospheric pressure. When the thermometer is in the casing, however, the valve is removed from its seat so that the sterilizing i liquid may iiow freely from one chamber to the other, so that the-thermometer is bathed from end to. end in a harmless antiseptic. The confining of the liquid in the lower vchamber when the' thermometer is removed,

reliably prevents spilling or evaporationof said liquid.l H

The cup 19 more or less loosely'surrounds the tip of the thermometer so thatr it receivesV a small quantity of the liquid each time that the thermometer is inserted. When the valve closes and the thermometer isv removed, the liquid contained in the cup either evaporates or flows out linto the outer portion of the tube, so that it does not return to the main body of liquid. Provision is therefore made for gradually decreasing the'quantity of stored liquid, this decrease rendering it incumbent on the user to renew the supply f by adding fresh cleanl liquid from time to time. Without this provision the liquid would eventually becomey excessively contaminated.

I claim: Y

1. A thermometer casing comprising an outer shell having side openings, two glass tubes confined in said shell, a packing between saidl tubes, said packing extending inwardly to form a valve seat, a valve and an actuating spring therefor` located in one of said tubes, said valve having an annular n portion to co-act with the valve seat portion of said packing to confine va sterilizing liquid, and av removable closure to confine a thermometer in said casing.

2. A thermometer casing comprising an outer metal shell having side openings, said shell having a closing plug at one end and an internal rib near the other end, a transparent tubular container within the shell having a valve seat intermediate its ends, packing between one end of the tubular container and the said internal rib and packing between the other end of the container and saidv closing plug, a valve to coperate with said seat, and an actuating spring located between said valve and the closing plug, a removable closure being provided fol?4 the end of the shell above the internal r1 3. Athermometer casing having an annuand confined between the annular portion and the lower end of the easing, said eupshaped portion being of suiiicient depth and l0 diameter to receive and guide the tip of a thermometer, and to remove liquid from the portion of the casing below the valve seat, substantially as and for the purpose sp eoifled. In testimony whereof I have aHXed my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

J AMES T. GREELEY. Witnesses` A. W. HARRISON, P. W. PEZZETTI.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

